Advice
by Crescent Dreamweaver
Summary: A Mutant X/Doctor Who crossover that takes place after "Altered Ego".


ADVICE  
  
by  
  
Crescent Dreamweaver  
  
email: catz4dog1@aol.com  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Mutant X or Doctor Who. Mutant X belongs to Marvel Studios and Tribune Entertainment, and Doctor Who belongs to the BBC.  
  
Synopsis: Takes place after "Altered Ego". Emma decides to leave the team because she's afraid that Adam will turn evil again. But when she arrives at a train station, she meets a rather eccentric man who helps her realize just how much Adam means to her.  
  
Note: The Doctor in this story is the 8th Doctor. Also, I don't know exactly where Mutant X takes place, so I'm going to say that it's in New York.  
  
Dedicated to: scifisarah, who begged me to write more A/E fics.  
  
* *= indicates emphasized words  
  
-- --= indicates a person's thoughts  
  
Let the story begin!  
  
* * *  
  
Emma deLauro sat down on the lab chair, wearing a pair of skin-tight capris and a black tube top. At the computer a few feet away from the lab chair stood Adam, his back to her. He was getting ready to give her the weekly EDD test that he made all the members of Mutant X take.  
  
Adam turned to face her, and Emma felt a surge of terror as she remembered what had happened just a couple of days ago.  
  
**flashback**  
  
Emma opened her eyes and looked around, feeling groggy. Her head hurt, and she held it for a moment, wincing at the pain. It was then that she noticed Adam walking over to a device that had appeared out of the floor.  
  
"Adam?" she asked softly. The oldest member of Mutant X glanced over at her, a faint smile playing around his lips, and picked up a device that looked as though it was meant to be used on a person's head. "I'm...I'm fine," Emma said, sitting up. "You don't need to do that."  
  
Adam put the device back and walked over to her. Emma eyed him, a feeling of apprehension coming over her. Adam leaned over her, and for one moment, she thought he might kiss her.  
  
But instead, he grabbed her wrists and slammed her arms down onto the armrests of the chair. Straps came out of them, binding her wrists.  
  
"What are you doing?" Emma demanded, terrified. The leader of Mutant X gave her a faint smile that sent chills down her back.  
  
"Don't tell me what I need to do," he said, and went over to the counter.  
  
"She got to you, didn't she?" Emma demanded. "Charlotte did this to you. Adam, look at me!" Adam turned back around, and Emma saw that he was holding a syringe. "Adam, stop it!" He injected its contents into her shoulder, and Emma's eyes slowly closed.  
  
Before she was completely overtaken by the darkness, Emma felt Adam's fingers brush the hair away from her ear, and she faintly heard him whisper into her ear, "In a little while, nothing much will matter anymore."  
  
**flashback**  
  
Adam turned around to face Emma, and walked towards her. But before he could reach her, Emma jumped out of the chair, and ran out of the lab, a look of terror on her face.  
  
Adam stared after her, a look of confusion on his face. --What the hell's wrong with Emma?-- he thought worriedly.  
  
* * *  
  
Emma ran up to her room as fast as she could, taking the steps two at a time. As soon as she was in her room, she locked the door behind her, and got dressed. Then she grabbed a duffel bag and tossed a few changes of clothes into it. As soon as she did that, she picked up the phone and dialed the number of the nearest train station.  
  
A short while later, Emma tiptoed downstairs, and headed towards the hanger deck where the Double Helix and the cars were kept. When she got there, she saw Adam coming out of the lab. He took one look at the duffel bag slung over her shoulder, and his eyes grew wide.  
  
"Emma, where the hell are you going?" he demanded.  
  
Emma stared at him for a moment, and then she opened the door to the hanger deck.  
  
"Adam, I'm sorry, but I can't stay here," she replied tearfully. "I'm afraid that you'll become evil again. I'm sorry."  
  
With those words, she left.  
  
Half an hour later, Emma arrived at the train station, and bought a train ticket. She glanced at the station's clock, and saw that her train wouldn't be arriving for another twenty minutes. Sighing, Emma sat down on a bench to wait for her train's arrival.  
  
A moment later, a strange-looking young man sat down next to her on the bench. He had curly brown hair that reached his shoulders, blue eyes, and wore the strangest-looking clothing that Emma had ever seen. He wore a white shirt with a starched collar, a blue waistcoat, a black silk cravat, black slacks, black shoes, and a blue velvet overcoat.  
  
"Hullo," he said cheerfully.  
  
"Hi," said Emma warily. --Who the hell is this guy?-- she thought to herself. --He looks like he belongs in a Jane Austen novel, not a modern- day train station!-- "Uh, if you don't mind me asking, who are you, and what do you want?"  
  
"In answer to your first question, I am the Doctor," he replied, standing up and making a sweeping bow. "And in answer to your second question, what I want is to help you, Ms. deLauro."  
  
Emma nearly fell off the bench in shock.  
  
"How did you know my name?" she demanded, even more wary of the Doctor than before. "Are you some kind of a stalker?"  
  
At that, the Doctor looked offended.  
  
"I most certainly am not a stalker!" he snapped, causing a couple of people passing by to give him strange looks before quickly moving on. "I am merely someone who wants to help you. I know why you're at this train station. It's because you're afraid of someone."  
  
Emma stared at him for a moment in shock, and then shook her head slightly to clear it.  
  
"What makes you think that I'm running away?" she asked carefully. "Or that I'm afraid of someone?"  
  
"Because the person whom you're afraid of hurt you not long ago," the Doctor replied quietly. "He was turned evil, and wanted to hurt you." He cocked his head to one side, gazing at her. "But then he was turned good again." The Doctor gave her a concerned look. "Emma, the reason that I'm here is to help you solve a problem that you have."  
  
"What problem is that?" asked Emma warily.  
  
"Why you're afraid of Adam." Emma's mouth fell open, and her mind began racing. How did the Doctor know that she was afraid of Adam?  
  
"How do you know so much?" Emma demanded.  
  
"I already told you," the Doctor replied patiently. "I'm the Doctor. Now, why are you afraid of Adam? After all, he isn't evil anymore."  
  
Emma bit her lip slightly, debating about the kind of answer that she should give the Doctor.  
  
"When Adam tried to hurt me while he was evil, I felt...well, betrayed," Emma said at last. "I know that when Adam tried to choke Shalimar, she was terrified beyond belief, and felt completely betrayed. But that's understandable, because he's like a father to her. Jesse and Brennan probably felt as though their best friend in the whole wide world had turned into another Benedict Arnold. But I felt as though---" At that point, Emma's cheeks turned bright pink, and she mumbled something very quickly.  
  
"Sorry, I didn't quite catch that," the Doctor said politely.  
  
"I said, I felt as though my heart had been betrayed." Emma's cheeks turned even pinker. "Pretty stupid, huh?"  
  
"No, it's not," the Doctor replied. "It doesn't sound at all stupid. In fact, it sounds quite logical. After all, what else is to be expected when you're in love?"  
  
Emma's mouth fell open in shock.  
  
"What are you talking about?" she said, finally managing to find her voice. "I'm not in love with Adam!"  
  
"Why else would your heart have felt betrayed?" the Doctor retorted. "When love is involved, the slightest betrayal can feel like the person doing the betraying is trying to break your heart. But it was not his fault, nor the fault of the one who changed him. The one who changed him---"  
  
"Charlotte," interrupted Emma.  
  
"I beg your pardon?"  
  
"That's the person who turned Adam evil."  
  
"Oh. Charlotte thought that Adam had hurt her father, but she learned that she was wrong, and she fixed the problem." The Doctor fixed Emma with a stern gaze. "I happen to know for a fact that Adam is *not* going to turn evil again." Then the Doctor smiled at her. "And I also happen to know for a fact that you love Adam." He sighed, and stood up. "Emma, the decision is yours. You can get on the train when it gets here, or you can stay and tell Adam that you love him when he and the rest of Mutant X arrive at this train station to try and convince you to stay." The Doctor gave her a smug look. "Which will be in approximately two minutes and forty-six seconds."  
  
With that, the Doctor walked towards a large blue police box that was nearby.  
  
"Hey, wait," called Emma, and the Doctor turned back to look at her.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"How can you possibly know all of this?" Emma demanded. "After all, you're only human."  
  
The Doctor grinned at her.  
  
"But I'm only half human," he said casually. "And I'm a Time Lord." With that, he opened the door of the police box and disappeared inside. A moment later, he poked his head back outside. "And before you ask, this isn't a police box. It's my TARDIS. She's a lot bigger on the inside."  
  
With a grin and a final wave, the Doctor pulled his head back inside. A moment later, there was a whirring-groaning noise, and the TARDIS disappeared.  
  
Emma stared at the place where the TARDIS had been, and shook her head slightly.  
  
"Now I've seen everything."  
  
Suddenly, a man's voice came over the intercom.  
  
"Train number 1353 from New York to Los Angeles is now arriving."  
  
Emma swallowed hard. That was her train. She stood up and grabbed her duffel bag. As she headed towards the train, she saw a silver Audi pull up. Adam, Shalimar Fox, Jesse Kilmartin, and Brennan Mulwray all jumped out and ran towards Emma.  
  
"Emma, wait!" yelled Shalimar, but she was too late. The train doors opened, and Emma got on.  
  
* * *  
  
Adam took off running towards the train, but the doors closed before he could reach it. He pounded on the doors, trying to get them to open, but they stayed closed. Suddenly, the train began to move forward.  
  
Adam stepped away from the train, a look of utter helplessness on his face. He stared at it, tears forming in his eyes, and didn't notice the other members of Mutant X coming up beside him.  
  
"I'm sorry that we didn't make it in time, Adam," said Shalimar softly.  
  
"Yeah, we're all gonna miss her," added Brennan.  
  
"Did she say exactly *why* she was going to leave?" asked Jesse, and Adam nodded.  
  
"She was afraid of me," he replied. "She was afraid that I was going to turn evil again."  
  
"Why?" asked Shalimar in confusion. "Charlotte changed you back. There wasn't any reason for Emma to be afraid."  
  
"I was afraid because I was an idiot," came Emma's voice from the other side of the tracks. Adam looked up and saw that she was standing there, grinning.  
  
By that time, the train had left the station. Adam ran across the tracks and scooped Emma up into his arms, spinning her around. The rest of the team stayed where they were, letting the two of them have a few minutes alone.  
  
"Emma, I am so sorry that I scared you so badly," Adam said, setting her down on her feet and hugging her tightly.  
  
"Adam, I know that Charlotte's powers are permanent on ordinary people," Emma replied softly. "I was just scared. And I felt betrayed." She smiled ruefully. "It took a conversation with a guy who looked like a reject from a Jane Austen novel to get me to see that." Adam grinned faintly. "Adam, this is going to sound really stupid, but I---"  
  
Before Emma could finish her sentence, Adam stepped towards her, placed his hands on her shoulders, and kissed her. It was gentle at first, just their lips pressed against each others. Then Emma hesitantly opened her mouth, and Adam deepened the kiss, his hands sliding from her shoulders to her back, pulling her closer to him.  
  
Shalimar, Jesse, and Brennan all gave each other huge grins. Now was *definitely* not a good time to interrupt.  
  
Finally, Adam and Emma reluctantly pulled apart.  
  
"Emma, I love you," Adam whispered. "Please don't leave. I'm not sure if I can live without you."  
  
"After everything that's happened in the past half hour, I have absolutely no intention of leaving," Emma whispered back, smiling.  
  
At that, Adam grinned and kissed her again. An instant later, the rest of the team came running across the tracks towards the two of them.  
  
"I take it things are okay between the two of you again?" asked Shalimar when she, Jesse, and Brennan reached them.  
  
"Gee, ya think?" Jesse asked sarcastically.  
  
"Yeah, the way they kissed should have given you a clue, Shal," added Brennan, grinning. Then he and Jesse both yelped at the same time as Shalimar smacked them both in the back of their heads.  
  
"That was a rhetorical question," she snapped. Emma giggled, and Adam sighed, shaking his head slightly.  
  
"Yes, things are all right between me and Adam again," Emma said. "I'm staying."  
  
Shalimar grinned, and she gave Emma a huge hug.  
  
"You guys, I think we need to head back to Sanctuary," said Brennan, glancing over at the car that he, Adam, Shalimar, and Jesse had driven to the train station. "I just spotted a cop eyeing our car which, if I might add, is illegally parked."  
  
"We'll drive the car that we brought here, and the two lovebirds can travel back to Sanctuary by themselves in the car that Emma drove here," Jesse said.  
  
Emma grinned at her three friends.  
  
"Sounds good to me," she replied.  
  
"The two of you can take as much time as you want getting home," Shalimar said, grinning mischievously.  
  
"Oh, believe me, we will," Adam replied, glancing at Emma out of the corner of his eye to see her reaction. She turned bright pink, but then she gave him a mischievous grin.  
  
"There's no doubt in my mind," Emma murmured, sending Adam a mental image of what she planned to do to him once they were alone. Adam turned fire- engine red, and the other members of Mutant X started laughing at the look on his face.  
  
"Damn, Emma," said Brennan, looking amazed. "What kind of mental image did you just send Adam? I've never seen *anyone's* face turn that red!"  
  
"Except for Eckhart when he's really pissed off at us," Shalimar added, doubled over in laughter. "Oh, I wish I'd brought a camera with me!"  
  
With that, she, Jesse, and Brennan headed towards their car, still laughing. Adam turned towards Emma, who was still giggling.  
  
"Shall we?" he asked formally, and held out his hand. Emma gave him a huge smile.  
  
"Of course." She placed her hand in Adam's, and he yanked her towards him, scooping her up into his arms easily. "Adam!"  
  
"Do you think that the others will be worried if we don't show up at Sanctuary for a couple of hours?" Adam asked softly, his face a mere inch from hers.  
  
"No, but I think we'll have to brace ourselves for some major teasing."  
  
Laughing, Adam carried Emma to their car.  
  
The End  
  
* * *  
  
A/N: I know that this story had a really stupid ending, but I'm going to start working on a sequel soon that takes place almost immediately after this fic ends. As always, please R&R, but no flames. Flamers will be pelted with dungbombs, and then they'll get their sorry arses kicked from here to the Bog of Eternal Stench. 


End file.
